Disgusted that I ever was a fan

Today I lost what little respect I had for Gerard Butler. I was having a bout of insomnia and boredom tonight so I went the the IMDB Machine Gun Preacher website. I saw where Gerry told this joke on Craig Ferguson that was edited out of the final show.

"Here's the "edited/deleted/censored" joke you didn't hear.

"Why are there so many women in church?"

"They heard there's a guy there hung like this." ( Gerry had his arms stretched out like Jesus nailed to the cross)"

Given that he is doing a movie that has a basis in my faith and then he tells a joke that is so disrespectful to Christians, disgusts me. But why should I be surprised? This is a man who talks about threesomes, disrespects women and yet still a bunch of sad women think he is a demigod.

I was slightly perturbed about his claim that he 'kind of' felt like he had PTSD after MGP. I know people who have been through real trauma and PTSD is not something to laugh at.

Personally, I will not see anymore movies by him and this is my last post on this site. I believe in freedom of speech and choice and he exercised his right and I will be exercising mine in every way.

There is a true movie that speaks about the love of God coming out this weekend. I have not seen it, but I will begin actively promoting it as an alternative to MGP if people are looking for a faith based movie. Actually, I will promote any movie over anything this he has a role in playing.

BTW, I believe that those arms were stretched out wide in an act of forgiveness and ultimate love for mankind. I will not ever stand for someone making light of the Love of Christ.

I can't find the clip. Does somebody have a link they can share?

OMG! I am dishearted about this... Donnakat I can not find the link to this. I now relize why Craig was saying no you can not say that, but I did not see anything. WOW, I have always admired and appreciated Gerry, and I have supported him threw the years, THIS IS AN EYE OPENER, I just can not believe he would say that, But here is another one for you ,,,I used to love Elvis until I actually him come down from a hall way talking to Red , his friend and saying that a Girl he picked up and help to get back home, he said "Well see was good for HEAD!"...I never bought or looked back...I understand how you feel, and I am sorry for that..And I am wondering if I should E Mail Craig and let him know that hey "Gerry needs to be talked to"....A joke is a joke to the Scottish people, but there has to be limits and I really think that the line was crossed.....Appi

There is no link to the clip of the edited out joke. It was not broadcast. I doubt CBS would release that footage. Maybe someone in the audience recorded it and might upload it one day.

I think I just found the original post of the joke.

http://gerardbutlerglobalfans.com/index.php?showtopic=72956&st=22

Making fun of any religion is inappropriate for public broadcast and CBS is right in removing it. That said, I like the joke. GB didn't say "Jesus" or "Christ". He said "a guy there hung like this." Only people with dirty minds get the naughty meaning.

Wow.

That is really offensive.

There are so many things that I could say, but I will boil it down to this one thing: He is promoting "Machine Gun Preacher". How inappropriate and stupid.


Regardless of whether or not that joke is offensive, Gerry is promoting a movie about a living person's life and redemption through finding God. Sam, as a Christain (not to mention a preacher), would probably find that joke blasphemous and personally offensive. At a bare minimum, Gerry's joke is inappropriate and disrespectful to Sam, the subject of this movie.

On a much broader level, that joke is mocking the image of Christ on the cross, which is a visual symbol of God's grace -His sacrifice of His Son for mankind. MGP is about Sam's redemption through his belief in God's grace and how it changed his life. Telling a joke at the expense of something that is a pivotal topic in the movie that you are staring in, producing and now promoting is crazy, in my opinion. It makes Gerry look like an ass - like he is making fun of the subject matter of his serious film.

He is promoting a movie, and yet he risks offending a large target audience for this film by telling a crass, tastless joke. I can not begin to understand how he could be so immature and stupid as to think that a joke like that would be funny - especially while promoting MGP. It boggles the mind.

But even if the situation were different, and he was not promoting this particular movie, I am just stunned by that joke.

Wow. Really?

That is all.

Okay, I can't help myself. I have to say one more thing.

To me this is kind of like if Liam Neeson (who protrayed Oskar Shindler -a greedy businessman who after witnessing the horrifying reality of the Holocaust is changed and saves 1100 Jews from the gas chambers) made a joke about the Holocaust during the promotion of "Shindler's List".

At the very least, it would be stupid to joke about something that was of great importance and changed the life of the person that he was portraying in the movie. It's disrespectful to Oskar Shindler's family, and it makes light of a serious subject. Lastly, it's offensive to many people - especially Jews who are a huge target audience for the movie. It's a serious subject that just deserves respect period. Why would someone act that way during a interview promoting the movie?


And, it's just not funny.


(I know that it's not exactly the same thing. Most people condemn the horrors and inhumanity of the Holocaust, and find crass comments about it inappropriate - except maybe crazy Ahmadinejad who claims it never happened, but he's a nutcase. And Christain beliefs are not not universally held by all, and thus not all would find that joke offensive. But you get my my point. One changed Schindler's life and the other changed Sam's. It is not a joke to those people involved - or to many others. What a horrible PR move. It makes it sound like you are mocking your own movie's subject matter and you're offending your potential audience members in the process.
Not to mention it kind of makes you look like an insensitive ass.)

I know the fangurls will pop up and defend him on the big sites....have already heard it going on.....but I have ALSO talked to 3 long time fans who are D.O.N.E. He's pushed it a bit too far this time, and I think it might not be *just* the joke, but the tasteless joke coupled with some other bad behaviors in the past few years. Sad. We all know that he has a dirty sense of humor....he admits it readily, but he's also a grown man who should have used some discretion.

Yes, GB had a lapse of judgment. Is it his first? The 2 jokes he told back-to-back were on the same subject. I'd like to know if he has a third joke in that progression.

I cannot add anything that has already been said. Well put. I thought I was finished with Butler for a while, now, but to quote Sami's friends, I truly am D.O.N.E. now. No words can really say how disgusted I am with him and his fangurls defending him. No, there's absolutely no excuse for what he said. I've heard all the excuses from...he's a man....oh that's what the Scots are like...it was just a joke. Joke and Jesus don't belong in the same sentence, as Christians believe. (or, at least, I believe)

And I've even been told that he's so intelligent. Well, I guess my definition of intelligence is different from their's. He's a fool, a pig, an idiot.

I will stay a member of this site only to stay in touch with all of you.

pamelajane wrote:

I will stay a member of this site only to stay in touch with all of you.

Yay, a convert to my side of the GB fence.

I really wish I could see the clip for myself. I really can't add anything that hasn't already been said.

That being said, I have some thinking to do with regards to this site. I keep (and have kept) it running for all of you, not because of Gerard Butler. That also being said, perhaps it's time for a format change. If the subject matter of this site causes more members to leave than join, maybe it's time to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

I won't do anything until Nay comes back from Africa, however. Until then, I hope those who want to leave will reconsider, at least for a bit. Butler might have offended you, but we're still here....hang tight?

You have all spoke what was in my heart but could not say eloquently in the middle of the night in my shock at reading the joke and the defenses of the joke.

Dallas, you were very eloquent in your well-thought out response, as always. You said a lot of things I was thinking but could not put into words. It is a slap in Sam's face, too, and I didn't think about that.

All of you are so wonderful and I am thankful that DK gives us a place where we can speak our minds on any subject. I am going to stay for awhile and see what happens because all of you are in my heart now, even though we have never met. This is an extraordinary group of women. Thanks DK for your response.

I am so not perfect but I am not ashamed of those outstretched arms.

Effective immediately, the subject matter of this forum will no longer be Gerard Butler, but instead will be a fansite for Box Cat:



Box Cat is cool.
Box Cat is awesome.
Box Cat loves women.
Box Cat loves God.
Box Cat loves his fans.
Box Cat loves boxes.

Box Cat rocks. Me loves Box Cat.

I don't think anyone is going to leave here, DK. I think the discerning fans are just more than a little sickened. Personally? I think Gerry has been like this all along, and just more and more of it is coming out because, as he gets more popular, he gets away with it. The fangurls. LET him get away with it. This will all blow over in a few days. He might lose some fans, but in the long run, most won't even HEAR the joke. You'd have to be a fan and be roaming the boards to even know it was said for the most part, or know another fan who was there. This will be just one more blip on the radar.....like sucking face with the violinist, punching the 'razzi....etc, etc.

Read a great quote last night that seems to really fit G:

Success (and money) doesn't create character, it enhances the character you already have.


Anyhow.....you have a great site, and I'm sure more and more fans will find their way here. Don't change it unless you just want and/or need to do it for you!! All the peeps who no longer want to read about Gerry can just stick to the personal parts of the site and conversations! I hate that you feel in a quandry over this man's idiocy.

You know, I am not Catholic, nor am I Scottish. I concede that this joke may be a long standing Catholic school boy joke or Scottish joke or whatever. Gerry did say something like "the old ones are the best" and Craig said something like "it's nice to remember the old country and many of the jokes we heard as childen"as they laughed about the parking/six inches joke. It is possible that the second joke was also along those lines.

BUT, if you are involved with a serious movie that has religion as pivotal part of the story, then you should avoid making crass jokes about the central figure of that religion.

Isn't that obvious to everyone, no matter what your background etc.?

That was a mistake in judgment on his part, to say the very least.

JMO.

I don't know any Scots, but the Catholic GB fans I know were the ones who were the MOST offended.

That doesn't surprise me at all. I would think that Christians would be the most offended by that joke. I know that is why I personally find it offensive. Gerry was raised Catholic and has no excuse for being ignorant about how blasphemous that joke is to Christians.

To be clear, my point about me not being Catholic was that I didn't go to a parochial school like Gerry did, and perhaps that joke was something ignorantly joked about by school boys when he was growing up. Or maybe it's a well known Scottish joke etc. I honestly don't know, but while that might be a reason for him knowing that joke, he is a grown man now and chose to tell that joke on an American talk show.


IMO, Gerry stuck his foot in his mouth, plain and simple. There is no excuse. I don't think his fans should make excuses for him either. Like Gerry, they should realize how offensive that joke can be to others, even if it's not offensive to them.

Again, JMO.

From the first day I joined this forum, I've read about GB doing rude, crass, nasty, disgusting, inappropriate things on a monthly basis. This is just one more thing. There has been a lull of nastiness lately, and he can't cuss in any of the MGP interviews, so I guess he felt the need to make up for the months of clean press and clean interviews in one fell swoop.

I'm trying to understand why this one nastiness is any different than any other nastiness of his in the past. He's always been rude, crass, nasty, disgusting, foul-mouthed, childish, and inappropriate. He still is, and probably always will be. Last straw? Pushed you too far?

Julie,

For me, the Cross is where salvation began. I would never make a crass joke about someone other religion's icon, like Buddah or Allah. I am way past junior high!

Dallas said it best--this film is all about the Cross--salvation, redemption and love. That makes the joke even worse. He obviously didn't understand what this movie was all about. He's acting again in his press conferences.

I am going on about 8 hours sleep in three days so I may be more emotional than normal. But I will always stand up for Christ when someone is making a mockery of his Ultimate Sacrifice.

I never wanted GB to play Sam, if you remember. A lot of it is because unlike other stars, he lets everyone know how crass, rude and offensive he is. It turns off what could be a huge audience for the movie. The person who played Sam didn't have to be a Christian--I just wanted someone who respected my beliefs. GB obviously doesn't.

I emailed many of my friends about this today. Most didn't know about the movie or who GB was. They know now and they are turned off to GB. At least two of them said they emailed Sam to tell him they would not see his movie and told him about the joke.

I agree with Sami--this will probably blow over as many of his exploits have. But this one cut deep with me because I do love Christ, even though I fail him often.

kayanne, I know you've been on the fence about GB fandom, and I understand now he's pushed you out. That's fine with me because I never gave a hoot about him or what he does. I'm here because I like the people here. You can hang with us, GB or no GB.

Well........it does make me wonder if Sam Childers got wind of the joke or even if Gerry would have said it if Sam was on the show. My guess is NO. He had to stick to the seriousness of the movie in press conferences when Sam was there. But with his ol' pal Craig he was his relaxed self again and with his friends he seems to let loose, no hold bars! It was edited out when I watched the interview on the NBC site. I was wondering why he asked if he could make a Micheal Jackson joke instead (or was it on Jays that he asked that?). This incident is like a splash of very cold water in my face-- its just a reminder that Gerry is a real person and not a fantasy figure. He's an actor. As much as I love his work, I don't know the guy. I love the way he looks, I love that he sings, and I DO find him to be a very talented actor, I think he puts great sensitvity into his work and I'd sure love to meet him! But what I see is most likely very different from others close to him see on a day to day basis.

I am Catholic, but I think this latest stupid statement of his is an insult to all Christians. When I look at the crucifix, I see the suffering and the cruelness that happened to Jesus. And for GB to make that so-called "joke" was downright vulgar. I think it struck a chord with me because it hit at my very heart. I'm not claiming to be perfect, there's only One, but faith, no matter which religion gets so many of us through our lives. It's such a personal thing and that's why this disgusting remark has affected some of us the way it has.

DK, as I said earlier, I have no intention of leaving this wonderful site because of all the great people here. And some of these same people are still GB fans and your are the best site out there and I would hate to see them miss out. In the long run, you are the site owner and it is your decision as to what to do. I will back any decision you make.

And, Julie, I would be proud to hang with you and the gang!

I don't know why anyone is surprised.
Though to be honest, I'm not too upset about the joke itself. It's an old joke that's both tasteless and funny (but I've heard it told much better). It was very inappropriate at that time and place. GB's a fair-to-midlin' actor, but he has always shown all the all-boys-club sensitivity of a just-learning-about-sex 12 year old.

I come here for the company, not the fandom.

I came here after seeing P.S. I Love You after I had dealt with a loss and had a health scare and didn't have any women friends to talk to. GB was a distraction as I continued to deal with things. My life is very different now. I have female friends in real life but I still care about the people on this board. You are sane and see that GB is not a demigod and thank goodness we can say what we want here.

I will be fading into the background a bit for awhile again and I will explain privately. So maybe it's a non issue.

Seems most of us here are more fans of his ACTING than his actions or (gasp!) looks. That is why this place has been so important......it's been a place for us to keep up with him without the over obsessive stuff. In the meantime.....we've all become family. Thanks y'all. Love you all!